


Crossroads

by EMMegs



Series: Reunion [1]
Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Alive Nagachika Hideyoshi, But so is Hide, Gen, I just want them to be happy, Kaneki is kind of a mess, Only HideKane romance if you squint, Post :re ch.86, Reunion, Short One Shot, Tg:re spoilers, drabble-ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-28
Updated: 2016-07-28
Packaged: 2018-07-27 09:33:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7612921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EMMegs/pseuds/EMMegs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A King's rule is only as great as the people behind him. Kaneki finds that being together and working for something is better than fighting alone for an impossible illusion. </p><p>-</p><p>The door opens and Kaneki comes face-to-face with a brown-haired man with a face he could never forget. Kaneki’s eyes widen. “Touka-chan!” he says with the same bright, yet slightly dimmed smile. Then he catches sight of Kaneki. “Wha—?” </p><p>“Surprise!” Touka says, “I have a fugitive for you to hide!”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Crossroads

**Author's Note:**

> Lots of spoilers through TG:re chapter 86 okay? Don't say I didn't warn you.

Kaneki, with the weight of his metaphorical crown on his head, wreaks havoc on the Special Class investigators and their underlings. When he looks back at Banjou, Touka, Yomo, and Hinami, they’re all staring at him in a weird mixture of fear and awe. “Kaneki,” Hirako calls from where he’s holding down a Rank 1 investigator with his foot. “We’ve got to move.”

Kaneki nods sharply and looks toward the others, his friends. Banjou hefts up Ayato and follows with Touka and Hinami, who supports Yomo.

Back at :re, he sits with them surrounding him and feels himself grinning sadly despite himself. Almost four years. It’s been almost four years since he sat with these people like this. He looks at Touka and Hinami, older but still generally the same. Nishiki has come upstairs with them. Banjou is sitting in the corner looking troubled. Hirako and the rest of Squad Zero are crowded at the back of the room, basically the only additions and looking slightly uncomfortable at that. The smile cracks across his face before he can help himself. A sharp bark of laughter leaves his lips.

“This is nostalgic isn’t it?” he says and feels tears press at the back of his eyes. So much is different even while things are the same.

Nishiki snorts. “Yeah we just need the old man warning us not to get involved, Koma threatening to bring out ‘the Devil Ape’ again, and you getting into a load of fucking trouble. Wait. That last one must have been fulfilled since Yomo’s in his room recovering, Ayato is beaten to a pulp, and you’re _here_.”

Touka rolls her eyes. “Shut up, Nishiki.” Her eyes turn to him. “What’s our next move, Kaneki?”

He swallows. He doesn’t know. He needs to think. He feels like he hasn’t had time to just sit down and think for weeks—months even. He brings a hand to his head and massages his temple. “We rest.” That’s another thing he hasn’t had in months. Actual rest. He meets Hirako’s eyes from across the room. “We rest and continue with life tomorrow as though nothing has happened. We don’t want to draw attention to :re.” He looks down at his three-fingered kagune hands and curls them into fists. “Squad Zero, Hinami and I will remain out of sight until I figure out where to go from here.”

He sees Hinami take this as dismissal and slip out of the room, presumably to check on Ayato. Banjou mutters something about getting back to the 6th ward and follows after her. Nishiki makes an annoyed ‘tsk’ sound and leaves. Hirako and Squad Zero stand there a little awkwardly while Kaneki looks at Touka. She swallows. “I guess I should look for rooms for you six.”

“If it isn’t too much trouble,” Kaneki says. “I’ll try to figure out somewhere else to stay by the end of the week.”

“It’s not trouble, _Your Highness_.” Her tone has the same biting humor behind it. “Hinami and Ayato can stay with me. If some of you don’t mind sharing I have a one-bedroom on the third floor with a few very comfortable couches. Yomo has an extra bedroom for someone, preferably with medical experience since that last hit he took was really hard.” She stops to think for a moment then looks Kaneki straight in the eye. “I have a place for you, specifically,” she says and there’s a mischievous glint in her eyes that Kaneki isn’t sure he likes.

Hirako takes the room in Yomo’s apartment while the four members of Squad Zero pass out in various places around the one-bedroom apartment that Touka offers. Once they’re settled, Touka takes him out of the building and sneaks him to a small apartment complex a couple blocks over. She knocks on a door. “This guy is a friend,” she says in explanation while they wait for someone to answer. “I think you might know him already though.”

Kaneki frowns as he hears footsteps on the other side of the door. Who could she possibly—the door opens and Kaneki comes face-to-face with a brown-haired man with a face he could never forget. Kaneki’s eyes widen. “Touka-chan!” he says with the same bright, yet slightly dimmed smile. Then he catches sight of Kaneki. “Wha—?”

“Surprise!” Touka says, “I have a fugitive for you to hide!” Kaneki just stares the man staring at him. A look like a vague ache crosses his face. Kaneki is suddenly very self-conscious of the fact that his hands and feet are all three-fingered kagune that vaguely resemble chicken feet. He curls his fingers into fists and shoves them behind his back. Touka speaks again, “Any time now, Nagachika. Every second out here is kind of damning.”

Hide jumps a little and steps back to let them in. He closes the door behind them and Touka doesn’t even bother toeing off her shoes. She stands in the entryway and says, “Goodness! How rude of me! Kaneki, Nagachika. Nagachika—“

“I know who he is, Touka,” both he and Hide say at the same time. The look at each other in surprise. Kaneki looks away first, one hand coming up to hold the forearm of his other.

Touka’s grin could light up the whole ward. “Kay. Good. Night then.” She gives a wave and darts out the door before either of them can protest.

The door closes heavily behind her and they’re left in awkward silence.

Hide breaks it, like always. “Well umm. I only have the one room so you can take the couch if you want?” He looks at Kaneki shyly, a smile starting to play on his lips. “Your hair is white again.”

Kaneki swallows. His mouth is too dry. “Yours is… dark.”

Hide laughs though it’s more of a nervous sound than anything else. “Yeah. Well… I decided that if I stopped bleaching it, it would lessen my chances of being recognized when I’m out around the city.”

Kaneki nods and the desire to reach for Hide is quickly becoming overwhelming. His fingers claw into his arm. Hide’s eyes dart to the movement.

“It’s okay, y’know,” Hide murmurs, gesturing to his entire person. “You. You’re half-ghoul, Kaneki. It’s just… part of who you are.” He swallows and scratches his cheek with one finger. “I’m… really glad you’re home.”

It washes over him then. _Home_. _Hide. Alive._ He draws in a shuddering breath and has to bring his hands to his face to hide the sudden tears that he feels in his eyes, on his cheeks. _“Let’s just go home already.”_ He opens his mouth to say something but chokes on the words.

“Hey,” Hide says. Kaneki lowers his hands just a little to look at him and he’s so much closer than before. “It’s okay to cry, Kaneki.”

Kaneki chokes on the words that want to come out. He somehow can’t say the name. Can’t speak to this person who means _so much_ to him. “Hide,” Kaneki gasps and it’s like the name itself is what makes this all real. “Hide. Hide. Hide.” It’s all he can say. The only word he knows. Hide’s hands fall on his shoulders and he smiles.

“You came home, Kaneki.”

Kaneki’s hands—his horribly disfigured kagune hands that he was so self-conscious of—come around Hide’s back as Hide tugs him into a hug. His knees give out and Hide squeaks in surprise as he’s pulled down with him.

“Hide,” Kaneki sobs, burying his face in the crook of his neck, in his scent.

“Yeah. I’m here Kaneki. I’m not going anywhere.”

Kaneki holds him all the tighter.

 

 

Kaneki doesn’t sleep. He tries. He lays down on Hide’s couch and he tries. But he can’t. So he rifles through Hide’s cupboards until he finds coffee—an awful instant brand at that but Hide never really did have a taste for the stuff. He smiles at it a little as he goes through the familiar motions of mixing the grounds into boiling water.

He’s halfway through his second cup when he hears a noise coming from behind the door to Hide’s room. It’s halfway between a cry and a sob and Kaneki stiffens when he hears it, tilting his head to hear better.

He stands and goes to the door quietly. He doesn’t knock because he doesn’t want to wake Hide if he’s still asleep or startle any possible intruders. He opens the door just a crack and gazes in. Hide jumps where he’s sitting up on his bed, his blankets wadded and pulled up to his chin. His shoulders are bare and Kaneki can see the scar where he’d lost a chunk of his flesh. His breath catches and he swallows hard.

“Kaneki,” Hide says, his voice considerably more measured than his shaken appearance suggests. “What’s up?”

Kaneki stands there awkwardly, one hand still gripping the doorknob. He swallows again and says, “I heard a noise… Are you okay?”

Hide nods, though it’s shaky, and forces his hands down from his chest to his lap. “I’m fine.”

Kaneki still doesn’t think he looks fine but he bobs his head a little and mutters, “Okay.”

He moves to back out and close the door when Hide calls, “Kaneki.” He looks back in and Hide is sitting there, visibly shaking. “It was a nightmare.” He wants to ask what he can do but Hide beats him to it. “Come here?”

Kaneki hesitates before moving further into the room, leaving the door ajar. He sits on the edge of Hide’s bed and watches him while Hide brings his left hand up to his scarred right shoulder. He brings his other hand to his mouth and rubs the corners with his fingers before talking again. “I… don’t want secrets this time, Kaneki. You can share things with me and I’ll share them with you, okay?”

Kaneki looks away from him and Hide’s hand shoots out and takes his chin. “Hey, man. I know you’re probably thinking about taking off again ‘to protect me’ but you don’t have to. You being away just… got me into more trouble.” He draws in a deep breath and both his hands retreat back to his lap. “I’m… I’m trying to be more open. I promised myself that if we ever met again, I’d be open with you instead of hiding my feelings.”

Kaneki gazes at this man who has saved him on so many different levels, sometimes without even realizing what he was doing. _“What I meant was I wish I could live on with you.”_ He closes his eyes. If he stands up and walks away right now, leaves the apartment, Hide might be safe from him, from associations with him that could get him hurt. But if he leaves, his friendship with Hide will most likely crumble and the lonely ache in his chest will never go away.

“You don’t have to do everything, Kaneki. We can do it together.”

Kaneki makes a decision. “Hide,” he says and his voice cracks on the name. Hide looks at him and the hope in his eyes is unmistakable. “I was so lonely without you.”

Hide lets out a breath and grabs his hand, pulling him toward him with a gentle laugh. “What are you? A little bunny?” he whispers and Kaneki smiles at how much his hallucination of Hide was accurate. Hide holds him and Kaneki lets himself be held. His limbs feel leaden and his eyes itch with the urge to close. “Hey uhh… There’s enough room on the bed if you want to stay here.”

Kaneki nods and Hide draws away to scoot closer to the wall. Kaneki lays down near the edge and they gaze at each other, their hands only centimeters apart between them—Hide’s human and perfectly shaped, Kaneki’s sharp and grotesque. His eyes start to drift closed.

“Hey, Kaneki?”

“Hmmm?”

“I missed you, man.”

Kaneki’s eyes open when Hide’s fingers grip one of his three long ones. Kaneki curls his clawed fingers and looks into Hide’s face. “I missed you too,” he croaks and Hide flashes him a small smile before drifting off to sleep.

Kaneki follows him with a single thought drifting through his head: _Together doesn’t sound too bad._

**Author's Note:**

> Okay I'm about 91% sure Touka actually has no idea where Hide is but lets just say she does for reunion's sake. I debated whether to make this longer with actual romantic interaction but ehhhh. This is good enough for now. 
> 
> I'm so ready for a canon reunion with these two where Hide completely wrecks the CCG with political sabotage and Kaneki uses the throne that's been thrust on him to fuck shit up.


End file.
